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Nutrition Tips for A Healthier YOU

By Luke Walker
Dare Head Coach

There is so much conflicting nutritional information these days it’s hard to know what to do or who to trust. Many of us end up confused or worse doing nothing or looking for convenience and what is easy. This approach doesn’t always serve us best.

There is no best “diet” or nutritional approach. The best approach is the one that works for you. The one that you can consistently adhere to forever. That’s right! Forever. If you can’t follow your current “diet” forever you are doing it wrong. The word diet represents everything we don’t want when adopting a nutritional approach. The word “diet” is something many associate with an end date. We need to start to shift this mentality to adopting a nutritional approach that’s sustainable long term. A way of eating. A way of life!

In nutrition as in life, cutting corners and doing what’s easy vary rarely gives us the result we are looking for. Unfortunately getting your food right, will take some time, preparation and effort. But it will be worth it. Fuelling your body correctly with the appropriate nutrients is vital to our health and wellbeing inside and out. Below are some simple tips you can start to adopt and add to your current eating plan. I promise you by including some of these on a daily basis your health, vitality and body composition will change for the better.

EAT NUTRIENT DENSE WHOLE FOODS

Focus on food quality and nourishment by eating whole, minimally processed, nutrient rich foods. Foods in which our body has a longstanding relationship and sync best with our bodies. A nutrition plan that includes high quality proteins, vegetables, good fats and carbohydrates give our bodies the correct fuel to perform optimally. Would you put poor quality fuel in a Ferrari? No, you would fill up on the best fuel so the car would run as efficiently as possible. Our bodies are no different. Start by removing all processed and packaged foods and adopt a more whole foods approach.
When thinking about food quality or what to eat, think about foods that our ancestors ate or had a long standing relationship with. These foods satisfy us both physiologically and psychologically and as a result we lose fat, gain muscle and perform better.

EAT SLOWER AND MORE MINDFULLY

Learning to eat more slowly and mindfully is one of the simplest yet most powerful things you can do to improve your overall health. By slowing down your eating you enjoy, better digestion, improved hydration, easier weight loss or maintenance and you become more satisfied with each and every meal. By eating slower and more mindfully you create more awareness surrounding your fullness and hunger cues which will ultimately lead you to eating less overall.

INCREASE PROTEIN INTAKE

Protein Is our most important macronutrient. It carries out a range of important functions in the body. Perhaps one of the most important functions is its role in muscle growth especially for strength training individuals.

It supplies the body with amino acids that function as the building blocks for muscle and prevent muscle breakdown. Without consuming adequate protein we will not be able to turn on the muscle growth light switch known as muscle protein synthesis.

Consuming adequate protein will enable optimal body composition, help repair and build body tissues, is vital for immune function and the production of hormones and neurotransmitters. It also plays a key role when trying to reduce body fat and in a calorie deficit as it keeps you more satiated after meals and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Protein also has a high thermic effect. Meaning the process of breaking protein down in the body utilises heat and energy and does wonders for your metabolism.

The majority of the population undereats protein. We don’t want to be like the majority. We want to be optimum. For strength training individuals a good range is 1.8-2.2 g per kg of body weight per day.

CONSUME MORE HEALTHY FATS

Humans evolved varied eating a varied seasonal diet. We thrive best on a mix of fat types that occur naturally in different types of foods. Fats play an important role in the body. These include:

We want a relatively equal balanced mix of fat types. This balance comes naturally if we choose a wide selection of diverse, whole, less processed foods, such as;

How much fat should we consume? A good starting place is 0.8 g of fat per kg of BW per day.

REDUCE ALCOHOL INTAKE

One simple way to improve your health is to greatly reduce or eliminate the consumption of alcohol. By reducing alcohol you will notice a range of benefits from clearer skin, more energy, lower blood pressure, better sleep, improved immunity and increased cognition.

Alcohol is literally a poison for the body and puts excessive strain on vital organs in particular the liver while it’s trying to process. During this the body shuts down other important processes such as metabolism. Apart from slowing down metabolism it also lowers testosterone and reduces the absorption of vitamins and minerals.

Overall its terrible for body composition and great for excess fat storage. The body only has a limited carb storage capacity in the muscles and the liver. Hence over consumption of alcohol can lead to blowing your daily intake way over. For best results for your health, I would recommended greatly reducing or eliminating alcohol all together.

DRINK MORE WATER

We as humans are approx 60% water and our blood is roughly 90%. Getting in enough water is vital to our health. Increasing water has been shown to improve complexion, prevent headaches, improve kidney function and support cell growth and reproduction. On the flip side dehydration can affect concentration, alertness, and short-term memory, and can cause fatigue. Aim to drink at least 2 L per day of preferably filtered water. By adopting the above tips you will see every area of your life improve. Good health truly is the foundation to living an amazing life as it carries over to every aspect. A healthier individual will generally make more money, do better with their career, have more fulfilling relationships and generally live life with more energy, vitality and happiness.

Start today and watch you life transform for the better.